REFUGE OVER RICHES
Opening Prayer
As I read your Word today, loving Lord, give me a heart like David’s—to know you, to trust you, and to praise you.
Read PSALM 62
Psalm 62[a]
For the director of music. For Jeduthun. A psalm of David.
1 Truly my soul finds rest in God;
my salvation comes from him.
2 Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.
3 How long will you assault me?
Would all of you throw me down—
this leaning wall, this tottering fence?
4 Surely they intend to topple me
from my lofty place;
they take delight in lies.
With their mouths they bless,
but in their hearts they curse.[b]
5 Yes, my soul, find rest in God;
my hope comes from him.
6 Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
7 My salvation and my honor depend on God[c];
he is my mighty rock, my refuge.
8 Trust in him at all times, you people;
pour out your hearts to him,
for God is our refuge.
9 Surely the lowborn are but a breath,
the highborn are but a lie.
If weighed on a balance, they are nothing;
together they are only a breath.
10 Do not trust in extortion
or put vain hope in stolen goods;
though your riches increase,
do not set your heart on them.
11 One thing God has spoken,
two things I have heard:
“Power belongs to you, God,
12 and with you, Lord, is unfailing love”;
and, “You reward everyone
according to what they have done.”
Footnotes
- Psalm 62:1 In Hebrew texts 62:1-12 is numbered 62:2-13.
- Psalm 62:4 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verse 8.
- Psalm 62:7 Or / God Most High is my salvation and my honor
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
May we get a glimpse today of the inheritance that is ours in Christ.
David begins many of his psalms by telling of his great need, accompanied by a description of a very present crisis. As such psalms progress, we witness his faith rise as he recalls God’s faithfulness and reliance on his current care. Psalm 62 bucks the trend. Clearly in a time of trouble, David commences with a declaration of his confidence in God. I recall a preacher referring to a particular verse of Scripture as one to brush your teeth with each morning. How about making the opening couple of verses of this psalm a declaration to begin your day?
David names some of the challenges he faces, but he asks God for nothing. This psalm oozes faith and trust and is devoid of despair, fear, or petition. As in the previous psalm, David emphasizes where he finds refuge. I find it captivating how David personalizes the characteristics of God in the sure confidence that they are his. Spurgeon notes, ‘Observe how the psalmist brands his own initials upon every name which he rejoicingly gives to his God – my rock, my salvation, my fortress.’1 Wonderfully, having applied God’s nature to his own context, David widens the reach of God to us all. God is ‘my refuge’ (see v 7) shifts to ‘God is our refuge’ (see v 8) and David’s initials are substituted with yours and mine.
Having laid claim to where to put one’s trust, the psalm closes with emphasis on the futility of placing it elsewhere. As one of much wealth, King David recognizes the fleeting nature of riches, described by Spurgeon as ‘only so much as foam of the sea.’ The foam of the sea will disappear while your gaze is still upon it, but in Christ you have an inheritance that is yours now and cannot be taken away.
Apply
Take a moment today to pause and give thanks for the treasure you have in Christ.
Closing prayer
Thank you, mighty God, that you are mindful of me; always ready to help, encourage, and provide everything I need.
1 Charles H Spurgeon (Alister McGrath and J I Packer, eds), Psalms (Vol 1), Crossway, 1993, p253
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